The Federal Government has officially declared its intention to discontinue the long-standing treasonable felony case against the publisher of Sahara Reporters, Omoyele Sowore, and his co-defendant, Olawale Bakare, also known as Mandate.
The announcement was conveyed through a document dated February 15, 2024, by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.
The document, addressed to the Federal High Court of Nigeria, Abuja Division, cited constitutional powers as the basis for discontinuing Charge No FHC/ABI/CR/235/2019.
The trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, had previously threatened to strike out the case due to the prosecution team’s inability to articulate their arguments in court.
This decision follows over four years of legal proceedings in the high-profile case.
Meanwhile, Sowore, who was arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) in 2019 ahead of a planned #RevolutionNow protest, has expressed his intention to sue the Federal Government and the DSS for ₦1billion.
In an exclusive telephone interview, Sowore highlighted the trauma inflicted on him and his family during his detention and subsequent confinement in Nigeria.
Sowore asserted, “I didn’t commit any crime; they only decided to waste my time and the resources of the country. But we’re not giving up. I will sue the Federal Government of Nigeria and the DSS for ₦1billion as compensation for the cost of time and resources, mental and financial trauma, and also for the assassination of my brother, Olajide Sowore during this five-year period that I was abducted, detained, and now confined to Nigeria while they seized my passport.”
